Fact check: ‘Staging’ of air attack victims in Kyiv?
After the rockets comes the propaganda - pro-Russian voices have claimed that wounded people in Kyiv were just actors staging their suffering. But a DW fact check shows that the victims are real.
Category War crimes
Read MoreFact check: ‘Staging’ of air attack victims in Kyiv?
Debunking claims that Izium mass graves are Ukrainian propaganda – Truth or Fake
Pro-Russian accounts on social media are falsely claiming that certain civilian graves found in Izium date from before the Russian occupation. In this edition of Truth or Fake, we debunk claims that the graves were staged by Ukrainian authorities.
Video shows Putin’s face superimposed on exiled tycoon’s body for anti-Kremlin film promo
Footage that appears to show Russian President Vladimir Putin behind bars has surfaced in social media posts claiming he was arrested on terrorism charges. However, the clip has been doctored to superimpose Putin's face onto that of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, an oil tycoon who spent a decade in jail. The altered video was originally published to promote a documentary that accused Russian authorities of orchestrating a series of apartment block bombings in 1999.
Debunking claims that Ukraine is staging Russian war crimes – Truth or Fake
A video from a film production in Ukraine has been widely shared on social media. Pro-Kremlin users falsely claim the video is evidence that Ukraine is staging Russian atrocities. We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.
Fake: Kyiv Tests Dangerous Drugs on Own Citizens
Russian media are interpreting routine clinical trials of high blood pressure and rheumatoid arthritis drugs as an evil experiment on Ukrainian citizens. In these phase II drug effectiveness clinical studies, the trial participants were taking an already well-studied, potentially effective drug to treat their ailments. The clinical trials that Russian media are raising an alarm about are mentioned in published documents and are not a secret - they have passed all stages of verification and were carried out under the supervision of the Ukrainian Health Ministry's State Expert Center. Information about the drugs and the trials can be found on the Ministry of Health State Expert Center website Information on clinical trials in Ukraine.
Fake: European Parliament Finds No Evidence Russia Sponsors Terrorism
Russian media claims that the European Parliament found no evidence that Russia sponsors terrorism is the opinion of only one parliamentarian - Gunnar Beck, a member of the pro-Russian Alternative für Deutschland (Alternative for Germany) party. Beck however did not say anything about the European Parliament and its decisions regarding Russia and terrorism.
What’s wrong with Amnesty International’s conclusions that “Ukrainian fighting tactics endanger civilians”
If Amnesty International had done the proper research, it might have found that the Ukrainian forces took all feasible measures to protect its population against the effects of hostilities while defending the population and territory against the crimes of the Russian forces, two leading experts on humanitarian law write.
International humanitarian law (IHL) is a body of law specifically designed to protect civilians and those who have laid down their arms. In sum, Amnesty International's conclusions are short on facts and analysis and long on intemperate accusation.
Manipulation: Europe Refuses to Recognize Russia’s War in Ukraine as Aggression, Declines ‘Special Tribunal”
Russian media manipulatively distorted the sense of Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba's statement about a possible special Russia tribunal to address war crimes and atrocities committed by the Russian military in their war against Ukraine. The European Union, the United States and many other countries support the establishment of such an international tribunal, and while all agree that it is a necessity, the format of the court is still under discussion.
Fake: Ukraine’s Leading Grain Magnate Killed by Ukrainian Missile
Oleksiy Vadaturskyi, the founder and CEO of Nibulon, one of the largest Ukrainian agriculture companies, was killed along with his wife on July 31 during the massive shelling of Mykolayiv by Russian invaders. One of the 50 rockets that Russia fired at the city that night hit his home. Ukraine's Prosecutor General opened an investigation into his killing, one line of investigation being pursued is Vadaturskyi's home was targeted intentionally.
Fake: Ukrainian Commander Held Captive by Russia Accuses Ukrainian Military of Shelling Olenivka Prison…
Serhiy Volynsky, the commander of Ukraine's 36th Marine Brigade, who is in Russian captivity, has not said anything that could be interpreted as support for the Russian propaganda version of the deadly explosions at the prisoner of war camp in Olenivka.